What Movies Are You Watching?

[Chazro]

I just came into a stack of illegally recorded flicks. Begs the question, if I didn't do the recording, am I wrong to watch the discs? Obviously, I say no. Especially as they were a gift from a friend. So I didn't do the recording (the crime), AND I got them for free!! Check out this list!:

Inherent Vice
Horns
Transformers-Age Of Extinction
St. Vincent
Birdman
Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Giver
The Judge
Nightcrawler
American Sniper
Everly
The Imitation Game
Once Upon A Time In Queens
Interstellar
The Gambler
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Fury
The Equalizer
Jersey Boys

What a score!!! And these weren't recorded by some guy in a theater using his phone, the majority are in High-def, I guess they were burned from review discs or something as sometimes little banners pop up from time. AND the best part is the dude told me to make a list of what I'd like to see!! I know it's illegal and wrong, I know......my list is close to 2 pages long at this point!!!;)

[Jimmy Cantiello]

My step-son is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. SAG sends him copies of all movies up for one of their awards. All members receive these copies. They are instructed to view the movies and then vote on them. After viewing, members are told to destroy the dvds. No lending out is allowed. Yeah, right. Recently my wife and I enjoyed watching "Birdman" and "The Imitation Game".

[Jazzooo]

A warning, as opposed to a review: Chappie, the new film by the once-promising director of District 9, just blows. It's as if the script was merely taken from an outline (written by an idiot) and handed to performers as the camera was rolling, so no one had any time to think. Worst movie of the year so far.

[A. Kingstone]

A warning, as opposed to a review: Chappie, the new film by the once-promising director of District 9, just blows. It's as if the script was merely taken from an outline (written by an idiot) and handed to performers as the camera was rolling, so no one had any time to think. Worst movie of the year so far.

That's too bad. District 9 was good.

[stonemonkts]

Loved Birdman, hated Interstellar (don't even get me started).

[bluenoter]

Loved Birdman, hated Interstellar (don't even get me started).

As I told the friend with whom I saw Interstellar, I was engrossed in it from beginning to end, but I hated almost every minute of it.

Corny, wooden, retro to ill effect, and badly in need of editing. Its big visual moments were mishandled somehow and fell rather flat. I thought it was a considerably inferior version of Inception, its older sibling, which I admired though not entirely enjoyed.

Still haven't gotten around to seeing Birdman, but one day I will. As usual, I'd much prefer to see it in a theater.


Good to see you, stone! Don't be a stranger, hear?

[stonemonkts]

Hi Rita - thanks for doing the heavy lifting. I agree with all that, and would add a bunch more about how it was far too family-oriented in terms of style (aka treacly), not to mention the "science" part of the fiction was muddled nonsense. My beef is really with Nolan. I loved Memento so much that I have given this director the benefit of the doubt far too many times. I hated Inception. To me, he is spending a ton of money just to produce inscrutable baffling bullshit. I'm glad others are entertained though.

Birdman is something else entirely. A manic roller coaster ride through the eyes of the Keaton character, full of wit and brevity. Ultimately it was more about celebrity narcissism and the folly that comes with aging. That isn't a spoiler. I hope.

[stonemonkts]

I truly miss when the boards had more active participation. I sometimes enjoy reading stuff other people post on Facebook, but I still feel clumsy and awkward there personally. The posts that turn into mini threads are enjoyable. Videos of cats frying eggs, not so much.

[Ron Thorne]

As with Rita, I'm also glad to see you posting, Stone.

Social media has really consumed the time of so many former posters in forums, but we're hopeful that we can still be a worthwhile refuge and place for conversation. I spend some time on Facebook and Jazztalk each day.

We'll keep on keepin' on, I promise.

[LennyH]

I hated Inception.

Me too. I liked Interstellar more, but it's certainly flawed.

Did you see Looper? That's a sci-fi film that I enjoyed a lot more.

[stonemonkts]

Did you see Looper? That's a sci-fi film that I enjoyed a lot more.

Yeah I liked Looper. The younger actor's face in that movie almost made me think it was enhanced/altered by CGI, so I found that a bit diverting.

[jtx]

I also found Inception less than satisfying. Looper has been on my need-to-watch list since it came out, but I haven't gotten to it yet. And speaking of time travel movies starring Bruce Willis, I enjoyed 12 Monkeys way back when. That and Dark City were the first DVDs (along with Neil Finn's Sessions at West 54th) I purchased when DVDs arrived on the scene.

[jtx]

A warning, as opposed to a review: Chappie, the new film by the once-promising director of District 9, just blows. It's as if the script was merely taken from an outline (written by an idiot) and handed to performers as the camera was rolling, so no one had any time to think. Worst movie of the year so far.

That's too bad. District 9 was good.

Based on how much I enjoyed District 9, I almost went to see Chappie before being similarly warned by a friend that it was not at all worth it. Ended up seeing Kingsman: The Secret Service instead. It was much better than I expected, and by all accounts better than Chappie.

[Jazzooo]

I liked very much While We're Young, a dramady with Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts and Charles Grodin--great to see him again.

Really enjoyed parts of Inherent Vice, but in the end a frustrating, failed takeoff on The Big Lebowski.

[Jazzooo]

Tomorrowland--fun and imaginative, a tad too long.

[LennyH]

Really enjoyed parts of Inherent Vice, but in the end a frustrating, failed takeoff on The Big Lebowski.

You know, I don't think I ever thought to compare it to The Big Lebowski.

I thought that Inherent Vice was quite good. It's an odd concoction, that's for sure. But I think PTA made it work (whatever the hell it is).

[Jazzooo]

A southern CA stoner who is constantly lighting up gets sucked into a mysterious missing persons case, not to mention getting cold cocked every now and then? And there is a ton of money involved? And he becomes a suspect while he's trying to crack the case? And there's more to the disappearance than meets the eye? With a lot of '70s rock playing all the time?

Sounds like Lebowski to me.

[Mr. Met]

I saw one of the scariest horror/psychological thriller films I've ever had the joy of watching:

The Babadook.

A woman whose husband died in a car crash as they were on the way to the hospital to give birth to her son lives with her boy, a high-needs, smart but troubled child.

They find a book named "The Babadook" in their home and they read it. It's more of a creepy, Godawful book than a kid's book. The boy then thinks The Babadook is coming to haunt them.

The actress playing the mother and the actor playing the son are wonderful.

I give it Five Thornes!

[bluenoter]

I give it Five Thornes!

And with that, a new ratings unit takes its place alongside—or in front of—the Monte: the Thorne!

[Ron Thorne]

I give it Five Thornes!

[Mr. Met]

I also saw The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

I was a big comic book geek growing up, so it was an immense pleasure watching Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers band together to save the planet.

The computer/technological element was exceptional.

Story/plot: Four Thornes
Technological wizardry: Five Thornes
Overall: 4.5 Thornes

And Scarlett Johansson? Ten Thornes!

[LennyH]

Sounds like Lebowski to me.

Ha, fair enough! I won't argue that you can draw that conclusion, at least at a high level like that.

However ...I'm sure you could just as easily compare IV and Lebowski to other films in what I'll call, for lack of a better term, the gumshoe genre.

I just read the plot synopsis for IV on wiki (what a mess that film is . And as I'm writing this, it seems to pointless to even mention the "plot" of IV). I think that the wiki synopsis is pretty much on the mark and does not sound at all like Lebowski. And, for me, they feel nothing alike (this is the real reason I never thought to make a comparison).

But that's cool. If the films felt similar to you then that's that. There are other reasons that this film could fail for people for sure. I like it a lot but would not go around recommending it to people.

[Gentle Giant]

I have seen Love & Mercy, the Brian Wilson biopic, three times already. Yes, I'm a Brian nut but this is a very cool film, imaginative directed and edited with wonderful performances and best of all, it's highly accurate (not completely, but much better than average). Highly recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uqnPiyx3Yc

[Mr. Met]

I saw Hot Tub Time Machine 2, which doesn't even get half a Thorne.

The first one got 4.5 Thornes, so this was truly a disappointment.

In ten minutes, I'm heading out to see Terminator: Genesys. This will hopefully be worth six Thornes and a half.

[Ron Thorne]

Do we need to generate a new icon for Thorne rankings of movies and stuff? One of these, perhaps?



Two of them look like very dangerous dunce caps!